Mazda Protege Basic Maintenance Questions

jstandefer · June 2001

I have owned several bright red cars/trucks (if you haven't figured it out, red is my favorite color on a car... even had my MG painted Miata red!), and none of them were clearcoated. A paint guy once told me that when the clearcoat starts to oxidize, it makes the red look like orange and it would be better off just to leave it non-clearcoated.

For paint care, I highly recommend Meguiar's. Their products range from entry-level consumer to paint-shop professional grade. Some of their products are pricey, but they work wonders!! You can even get a free car-care prescription from their site customized for your climate and your maintenance habits! Check them out at http://www.meguiars.com

hkchan · June 2001

I thought I'd tried holding it in the on position and then engaging the cc. It didn't work (car was travelling at 50 mph). I'll try it again later.

maltb · June 2001

if you hear the relay clicking, the switch is working, but as you mentioned it just doesn't lock.

the_big_h · June 2001

got a flat on I-95 last night, didn't pull off until off of highway, so the tire is no longer fixable and needs a replacement. I'm planning to just replace it with another Bridgestone RE92 just so that all wheels have same spec. Need to replace it ASAP cuz I'm running on the spare donut right now, which is not such a good thing. So Tirerack.com is basically out of question. Question is, taking into account of cost of the tire, what's a fair price the tire shop should charge for doing a complete install of the tire? I got quoted $188 from Merchants Tire for a Michelin + installation, that seems too high.

any comments welcome

thanks

jstandefer · June 2001

Is that $188 just for one tire? What type of tire is it? Some of the Michelin's are rather pricey. I looked at the Pilot XGT's but didn't want to spend close to $800 for them. Even the Bridgestone Pontenza RE92s are awfully pricey. I paid $83 per tire for Nitto NT450 205/50R15's, and they have been terrific tires... a lot quieter, better grip particularly when wet, and much, much, much, much, much better treadwear!

the_big_h · June 2001

Yes that is the cost for installing ONE tire. I didn't remember what model number it was, but $188 includes both tire and labor. The guy did say it was performance tire or something...

btw, is it a good idea to have different brands of tires mix & matched on a single car? would it affect performance, gas mileage, etc?

I'm going to another tire store tomorrow morning to see if I can find a better price. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to put the donut wheel back to where it belongs, under my trunk!

nikecar · June 2001

its not a good idea to have one of X brand and 3 of Y brand ESPECIALLY in performance tires.. if these were Geo Metro or some slow car then most passenger tires are very similar. but not so with performance.. either get the RE92's or replace 2 tires (the flat and the opposite side pair). better to have 2 and 2 than 3 and 1.. we did that on my wife's neon and it stunk.. but it was a lease so I didn't care.

the_big_h · June 2001

went to Tire Plus and got 2 Yokohama A460's installed to the front wheels. Cost me about $300 out of door (tires cost $25 more than they sell at Tire Rack, but I want to fix it now and get it over with. Oh well) Now have an extra RE92 in my trunk in case of future flats on the remaining 2 RE92's at the rear. Unless someone wants to buy a lightly used (7500 mi) RE92 from me...

mazdafun · June 2001

I too noticed some evidence of water intrustion into the trunk of my 99 LX. I was trying to remove the jack and spare to rotate my wheels. I had to really work out the screw that holds the jack in place. Turns out the last 1/4in was rusted. I also found a lot of what looks to be salt crystals in the jack pocket. Could the water be coming in from the wheel well or underneath the bumper? Tips on checking how water gets in? I was going to seal up the leak with some silicone caulk on the inside.

Also, I noticed a lot of rust on the suspension and brake hardware when I rotated my wheels. Any advice on treating this? I planned on using some silicone grease to coat the rust, but it doesn't remove what's there. I was thinking of using some chemicals that convert rust into a primer-like substance, but am concerned about making parts stick to each other.

Also, the dealer bent a piece of sheet metal near one of the lift points (inboard of each wheel) the last time they serviced this vehicle (which was a while ago since I do my own oil changes). Now I'm worried about rust starting here (I pried it back into place with a pair of needle-nose). I'm afraid that putting paint over the damaged sheet metal will only trap water. Little things like this are why I stopped going to service departments or ind. garages for "routine" services. Seems I need to check the vehicle thoroughly on a lift before I accept my vehicle back. Would it be too forward to ask that I be allowed to inspect my vehicle before they lower it after a service? I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Sorry for the rambling. Worried about my baby Pro, I guess. The good news is that after 19,000 miles, I still have over 50% of my front brake pads left.

nikecar · June 2001

as for the water, you could check the seals around the brake lights.. this happens in Sentras (pre 2000) and also some 93-97 Altimas... my sister-in-law's 96 Sentra had this happen to her.. I'd suggest 2 people check it out.. one spraying water outside, the other inside to see where its coming from..

maltb · June 2001

Have your mother-in-law put on her shower cap before spraying inside.

I assume you meant spraying from under the wheel well?

There is a vent on the rear fender behind the bumper. check to see that it's not coming from there.

mazdafun · June 2001

Thanks for the leads.

I guess I'll volunteer to crawl into the trunk.

Although my wife would fit better, I'd prefer to keep the peace.

nikecar · June 2001

no... fold down the rear seats then wiggle in there.. Malt, the Sentras also have a vent in the wheel well, but the leak was coming from the light seal.. the dealer "sealed" it 2 previous times saying it was fine.. 3rd time the GM ordered new lights and better seals.. solved the problem..

How'd they know? they wiggled in the back, then another guy sprayed the different areas of the trunk until they spotted the water...

mazdafun · June 2001

That's how I got into the trunk to upgrade the rear speakers. After living with and using the fold-down rear seatbacks, I can't even consider purchasing a car without them.

Speaking of which, I think the Pro has one of the largest pass-throughs from the trunk for compact and mid-size vehicles. Even seen how tiny the pass-throughs are in Nissan cars? They're almost a joke.

nikecar · June 2001

Actually I think the Pro's pass thru is small. Compared to other cars including our Alty (which is labeled in places as a mid-size and/or compact) is way bigger.

Has a pretty big trunk though which is another reason we love it...

mazdafun · June 2001

I could swear that the Sentra's and the Maxima's were tiny. Maybe the Maxima's only looked tiny for the size of its trunk.

I have to admit I haven't checked out an Altima's.

Still, it's a squeeze when one has to pass one's own body through it.

tocan · June 2001

My 1994 Sentra's was really small.

Nomi

nikecar · June 2001

I'm not saying mine is big by any stretch at all.. just looked this morning and its still kinda small (Alty), and I do know our Protege's is smaller..
Of Course I'm slightly biased cuz my old 92 Cavalier had a huge opening... fold down the seats and the hole was as big as the back seat area.. Oh well...

peregrine_11 · July 2001

Okay, I'm swearing off Armor All products now...I'd bought some of those glass wipes to try a few weeks back, and was disgusted at the amount of lint they left behind. I thought I'd give their regular spray-bottle glass cleaner a try yesterday and it left cloudy streaks all over my window (with the use of a microfiber cloth).

Does anyone have recommendations for a good window cleaner that WORKS? How about the ammonia-free Windex? Anyone use that? I know you're not supposed to use ammonia-based products on tinted windows. All I want is a clean windshield...Grrrrrrrr.

nikecar · July 2001

I like one that is made by RainX.. its in a spray bottle with a blue label I think.. Its a window cleaner that says its safe for tints... try it..

nikecar · July 2001

Ebay has the service manual for about $15-20 depends when you see this..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=593140897&r=0&t=0

nikecar · July 2001

shows there is a 2001 service manual too...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=593091519&r=0&t=0

now if they have the 2000 manual, its mine..

protegextwo · July 2001

Hi Caroline. I can make a couple of suggestions and hopefully they will work for you. STONER'S Invisible Glass and Turtle Wax ClearVue auto glass cleaners are top box! BTW, I have never used the RainX auto glass cleaner that Victor(Nikecar) recommend, however Vic is a long time poster here and is very knowledgeable. I'm sure the RainX product will due I nice job! :-)

I will recommend two very very good Glass cleaners. BTW, stop using Windex it is junk. It contains too much soap, requires way to much effort, to get the streaky soap residue off the glass, and it never removes tree sap, bird droppings, or bug splats. Your thoughts on ammonia and window tinting are correct, AVOID house-hold "window cleaners" for auto glass.

TURTLE WAX CLEARVUE Auto Glass Cleaner:
A foam, ammonia free cleaner thats works on chrome, windshields, and mirrors. Very good stuff, especially when your windshield is full of bug splats. The foam helps lift the little "buggers" off, hehe!!!

STONER INVISIBLE GLASS Cleaner:
Does every thing that CLEARVUE does. However, the INVISIBLE GLASS is NOT a foam. It evaporates much quicker and very very easy to use.

Caroline, take a trip to your nearby Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc. Spend $3.00 bucks or so and you will never regret leaving the Windex under the kitchen sink.

Respectfully,
Larry

mazdafun · July 2001

And it's dirt cheap at $1/gal on sale. You just have to find yourself a spray bottle.

Just be sure your tinting can stand up to methanol, which is the alcohol used in it. Be sure to use in a ventilated space too, as methanol isn't good for you.

mazdafun · July 2001

How do I pop these off? There's a bunch of gunk and evergreen needles stuck under the ones on my 99 Pro LX that I'd like to clean out.

Naturally, I'd like to be able to pop them back in.

norcan · July 2001

Don't know how to remove the gutters (sounds scary) myself.
I park my ES outside, near a large ash tree. Luckily it doesn't drop sticky stuff, but I found I constantly need to clean winged-seeds and leaf stems from underneath the hood (near windshield)and trunk and in the roof gutters. The protege seems to trap more debris than my old Corsica. It's important to keep these areas clean to prevent rust!

mazdafun · July 2001

That and the yuck factor as all that plant matter breaks down. =P

I think I'll take some time this weekend and see about prying it off with some plastic bike tire levers and some foam paper to avoid scratching the paint. I guess I could always buy a service manual or go to the parts dept to see if I could find a drawing or something to help me.

henryllama · July 2001

I bought a (slightly) used 2000 LX back in January, 2001. I like the car---BUT it is the slowest car in the world (automatic)....it hardly can climb even slight grades....does anybody else feel that the car is a "dog?"

maltb · July 2001

Ever considered NOS?

I was cursed a while back with a 99 DX auto which is the same drive train. All I can say is that you may want to buy a VFR 1100 and get your thrills on that and drive the LX auto on rainy days.

nikecar · July 2001

that is why I made the wife test the ES (2000). after driving the ES, the LX couldn't compare..

She was thinking she was getting the LX to start, but I had driven the ES before and made her drive one after the LX. that one OHHHHH out her mouth with the ES was the clincher...

mazdafun · July 2001

You just have to search a little further with the throttle. Once you get over 3000rpm, it's not bad. The shift between 1 and 2 is kind of rough though.

Not the best automatic transmission. Too bad. The engine is pretty willing though.

Of course, A/C will cut down on this. I have to "manage" the power systems in my '89 323LX whenever I need the extra oomph.

hp9000 · July 2001

I was looking for an injector cleaner for my 98 Protege LX (Canadian, the same as the ES in the States) but since there are no Chevron stations nearby, I couldn't find any Techron. So I dropped by the local Mazda dealership, and they have a Mazda Injector Cleaner; has anyone used this stuff already? How good is it? And do you have any idea who makes it (is it Techron under another name or is it just another brand to avoid?)

nikecar · July 2001

Techron is just one brand... there are several out there... someone might say Techron is the best, or Chrvon gas cuz it has Techron is the best, but the time I put Chevron in my car, it wanted to stall at every stop light... changed gas companies.. problem went away..

mazdafun · July 2001

Well, I couldn't pry off the gutter strips to clean under them (too afraid of busting them). Guess I'll have to buy myself a service manual or stop by the local parts dept to try to get a gander at an assembly drawing to see if I can't figure out how they're attached.

Where's a good place to buy a service manual for a '99? I'd buy at my dealer's parts dept, but they're not as cheap (or as competent) as I'd like (they're mostly a Chevy parts dept that got stuck with handling Mazda parts...guess Chevys got more parts that need frequent replacing LOL).

maltb · July 2001

To Remove the roof molding, pry up the front and rear of the molding until it releases from the clip. Next, slide the whole molding towards the rear of the car to release the center of the molding. Installation is the reverse or removal.

nikecar · July 2001

Ebay has a 99 manual for sale...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=593534421&r=0&t=0

mazdafun · July 2001

Thanks for the info!

This group is helpful as always.

h109 · August 2001

my pro is a 2000 LX. a real "pro" indeed !!!

1) is it a good idea to tow a small trailer (1000 lbs. - class I) with car ?

2) any pointers as to where i can get a roof carrier for my pro ? again, is it ok/safe to install one, considering the power.

thanks for the info,
-hari

mazdafun · August 2001

I think the recommendation is to stay under 150 pounds when loading up the roof. That includes the rack and cargo case.

Mazda recommends not towing with the Pro, but I've seen a '99 red LX towing a small trailer with some stuff on it on I-75. However, it's been the only one I've seen so equipped. He was really booking it too. Blew by my Pro.

h109 · August 2001

for the towing info.

-hari

mazdafun · August 2001

You're welcome. So polite!

chikoo · August 2001

did the first step of 30,00 mile service. Got the tranny fluid changed.
I remember somebody mentioning that the Pro tranny cannot be serviced by "dropping the pan".

But guess what?
The new transmission HAS a pan. just like the taurus.
drop it and clean it.

The service guys used up almost 6.5 qts.
That is as much as the Taurus refill!!

So did they do a refill or flush+refill?

newcar31 · August 2001

They just refilled it. You can get the same results by just pulling the drain plug in the transmission pan. I don't know why they took the whole pan off (unless they changed the filter, if there is one) since there is a drain plug in it. To clean the pan without taking it off, you can just flush about a quart of tranny fluid through the fill tube with the plug out. Taking the whole pan off to change the transmission fluid would be like taking the oil pan off every time you change the oil. If they flushed it, they would have hooked up a machine to your transmission cooling lines OR they would have turned the car on with the trans plug out, pumped fluid through the fill tube and shifted through the gears at the same time which requires more than one person to do. If they just refilled it, they didn't change all of the transmission fluid because they didn't drain the torque converter or the transmission lines.

chikoo · August 2001

newcar31,

but 6.5 qts for a refill is tooooo much.
the owners manual states 5 qts.

I guess they must have run the engine and pumped out the fluid 'cause they don't have a flushing machine.

chikoo · August 2001

any ideas on what tool is to be used to take out the spark plugs on '99 ES?

OEM spark pkugs are NGK v-power BKR5E-11# (non-platinum).

maltb · August 2001

I'm guessing a spark plug wrench...

chikoo · August 2001

maltb..great answer but what size/specs ?

maltb · August 2001

It's a 5/8" plug socket...

I'm just a smart [non-permissible content removed].

chikoo · August 2001

nice way of greeting Good morning matlb.

and what about the length?

maltb · August 2001

thread diameter is 14mm, reach is 19mm. A 5 heat range is pretty warm...to cool it go to a 6. Oh yeah, gap is .044"

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